


The Real Hero in Homecoming Is Aunt May

by taylor_tut



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Aunt May Is Awesome, Father Figures, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Sick Character, Sick Peter Parker, Sickfic, Whump, aunt may is in the avengers groupchat and you can't stop me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 13:24:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14545677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taylor_tut/pseuds/taylor_tut
Summary: A birthday request from my tumblr: Peter gets sick and goes to Tony's, anyway. Tony panicks about breaking May's kid. May knows it'll all be okay.





	The Real Hero in Homecoming Is Aunt May

Peter had been looking kind of rough since he walked into the lab, but Tony got it. Both school and super-hero-ing were both tough enough on their own, but combine the two? Honestly, he was happy if the kid was able to just give a fraction of the time and effort he’d been giving for the past few months.

When he glanced over to offer Peter a soda or something, he found himself biting down on a smile. Nearly asleep, Peter’s eyes were closed and his chin kept dropping to his chest, jerking back up, and repeating in a cycle that made him look like one of those sleepy Instagram kittens falling asleep in its food bowl. The first thing he always did was take off his jacket when he worked--the sleeves got in the way, he said--but now, his hands were wrapped around his arms for warmth, and he all-over just looked like he could use a nap.

Tony took Peter’s jacket from the couch he’d thrown it on (which was  _ three feet _ from the hook hanger, was it really THAT hard to just--ugh, nevermind.) and draped it over his shoulders, effectively startling him awake.

“Wasn’t sleepin’!” Peter blurted, and Tony’s lip quirked in an amused smirk. 

“Sure, Pete,” he said softly, “why don’t you just head out early?”

Peter shook his head vehemently, looking terrified at the thought. “No, no; I can--I’m good.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Look, I only really need you for one more thing, so how about we finish that up and then you go on home, huh? You look beat.” 

Peter’s expression didn’t get less panicked, but he nodded, so Tony tossed him the body of the Spiderman suit.

“Put it on for a minute,” he instructed. “I want to make some renovations, but it’s easier to mark when it’s on a body.”

Peter frowned. “Are you gonna stick pins in me again?”

“I’m going to try not to.”

“That’s what you said last time,” Peter grumbled, but took the suit anyway, fumbling with it for only a moment before stripping down to his boxers and pulling the suit over himself.

As Tony leaned in to begin marking where things should go, he frowned when he noticed that Peter was shivering.

“Are you cold?” he asked. Peter shook his head, swaying a bit with the motion.

“Nah,” he denied, “m’fine.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “If you’re cold, you need to tell me, because I know I keep the lab a little nippy, but the suit should be regulating that and keeping you comfortable. If it’s not, I can adjust the parameters, but you’ve got to tell me so I can check the thermoregulators.” 

After a moment’s hesitation, Peter nodded. “Yeah, I’m freezing.”

“Thank you,” Tony said exasperatedly. 

He turned tp FRIDAY’s monitor and swiped through several pages before looking back to Peter.

“Uh, Pete?” he tried, noticing concernedly that he’d already sat back down in his seat, “the lab is only 72 Fahrenheit and your suit is regulating just fine.”

Peter shook his head impatiently. “Don’t care about that,” he muttered, “s’time to assemble?”

Tony bit his lip apprehensively. “Peter?” he tried. “We’re not--there was no call. You feelin’ okay? You’re looking pretty pale.” 

“Not important,” Peter dodged. “We gotta go.” He began to stand, then swayed terrifyingly into Tony, who caught him by the shoulders and lowered him to the ground.

“Kid?” he prompted, and when he got no response, “FRIDAY?”

“Mr. Parker’s temperature is elevated,” she replied, “and his pulse is fast.”

“Why did you not choose to mention this earlier?” Tony grumbled, and she hesitated.

“The parameters did not exceed your preset--”

“I don’t care what mine are,” he bit, “Peter’s are lower. From here on out, I want you to alert me as soon as he’s above 100.4.” 

“Noted, Boss,” she accepted. “Mr. Parker’s temperature is presently 103.3.” 

Tony sort of wondered how high he’d preset his own parameters that 103.3 wasn’t a concern to the AI, but that wasn’t the main issue, here.

“Okay, call May, the top SHIELD medic, and… fuck, okay. See what the medic says, and if they say get an ambulance, do that.”

“On it, Boss,” she signed off.

With that handled, Tony turned back to Peter. “Pete, kiddo, you with me?” he asked quietly--Tony himself got migraines, and if Peter had a headache, he didn’t want to make it worse. 

“Mmph,” Peter grunted, “m’fine. Assemb--”

“--No,” Tony cut him off. “There’s nothing going on, okay? You’re a bit sick, didja know that?”

Peter nodded. Well, Tony could yell at him for that later.

“Okay, well you’ve got a fever, and it’s messing with your head a bit. Can you--”

“Boss, May ‘heart symbol’ is on the phone,” FRIDAY announced. Even despite his fevered stupor, Peter quirked an eyebrow. 

“Just put her though,” he grumbled.

“Hello?” May’s voice came through, crystal clear and instantly comforting enough that Peter relaxed a bit. “The Robot said something was wrong with Peter. What’s going on?”

“Hi, May,” Tony greeted, choosing not to address the calling of his AI a “robot.” “It looks like Pete’s a bit under the weather,” he said. “He’s running a fever.”

May sighed, almost relieved. “How high?”

“103 and a half,” Tony replied. 

May took a breath. “Well, that’s not great, but he’ll live,” she reassured. “Do you have any ibuprofen?”

Tony fumbled. “Uh, I--yeah,” he said. “I’ve got a doctor on the way, and an ambulance, if you think he needs one.”

May laughed, yellow and blue. “No,” she promised, “he’ll be fine as long as he gets some fluids and a good, stern lecture about taking a rest when he’s sick.”

“S’rry May,” Peter drawled, waking up from sleep just to be scolded. Tony decided in that moment that May could probably raise the dead with nothing but a stern look. 

She sighed again. “What am I gonna do with you,” she asked affectionately. “Alright, Tony--Mr. Stark,” she amended.

“No, Tony’s fine,” he said. He’d broken her kid--she could call him whatever she wanted. 

“Tony, then,” she said. “I’ll come get him--”

“I can--Happy can--my driver will--” he fumbled. “We can bring him to you.”

She laughed again. “He’s not a hostage,” she reminded him, “though he is grounded. I appreciate your concern, Tony, really--not the panic, so much, even though that’s adorable--but the concern is sweet. He’s probably just got some bug, worst case scenario the flu. He goes to high school, which is where germs are born. He’ll be fine.”

Tony nodded though she couldn’t see him.

“A few days’ rest and he’ll be up and complaining about how bored he is.”

Tony didn’t seem to believe her. “Are you sure?” 

He could hear her smile. “Yeah,” she promised. “He’s a kid. They bounce back pretty fast. Not like us,” she joked. 

Tony chuckled. 

“Get a room,” Peter whined. 

“Well, the doc is already on their way,” Tony offered, “so if it’s okay, I’d feel better…”

“Yes, sure,” she said, “a checkup is fine. I just don’t want you sitting there thinking it’s life or death.”

That’s exactly what Tony HAD been thinking, heavy emphasis on death.

“Okay,” he said, “thank you. As soon as he’s up and around, I’ll get him back to you.”

She smiled. “Do I have to pay shipping and handling?”

“Well, I’m sure Happy wouldn’t turn down a tip, but you can have the friends and family discount.”

May chuckled. “Glad to see you’re calmer,” she admitted. “When you called so panicked, I assumed it was a lot worse.”

“Me, too,” Tony agreed. A knock at the door interrupted them. “The doctor is here. I’ll--”

“Talk to you later, yes,” May finished, hanging up first without hesitation. Once the doctor had told Tony pretty much the same thing May had, he allowed himself to breathe. 

“Once you drink this Gatorade, I’m going to get you back home,” Tony told a now more lucid Peter. 

“Sorry for--well, you know, all the drama.”

Tony set his jaw. “I’m not mad about the drama, kid,” he argued. “I’m mad because you went to school sick, then came here sicker, and didn’t think to tell your aunt or me anything about it.”

Peter fidgeted. “I didn’t want you to think I couldn’t handle it,” he admitted.    
“You’re 15,” Tony argued. “The only way I’m going to think you’re in over your head is if you start pulling this self-sacrificing crap.”

All Peter could do was nod. “Okay.”

May would later explain the subtle nuances of a man like Tony Stark and how being a jackass translated to being terrified and caring, but for now, Peter just sipped his Gatorade.

“Thanks for this, Mr. Stark,” he said. 

“I expect it to not happen again.”

Peter nodded furiously, nervously.

“Good.” A horn honked outside. “Happy is here,” he announced, helping Peter to stand and beginning to lead him to the elevator. “I’ll see you no more than 24 hours after that fever breaks, and believe me, I’ll know. May’s in the group chat.”

Peter skidded them to a stop. “The Avengers’ group chat?!” he squealed. “I’m not even in the Avengers’ group chat!”

Tony rolled his eyes. “May doesn’t send memes and try to start up movie nights.”

Well, Peter couldn’t argue with that.

“Go get some sleep, kid,” Tony said, finally releasing Peter into the care of Happy. ‘I’ll see you in a couple days.”

As the windows rolled up, Peter couldn’t help but feel like he had everything he’d been missing, and that the Spider Powers were just an added bonus.


End file.
